Mount Carleton Provincial Park
Please note, the park closes for a seasonal transition period from early October to early January as well as from March to mid-May. Please call the park if you are traveling in those times to confirm if the park is open.
Mount Carleton’s serviced roads provide access to many groomed trails within the park during the winter months. If you're a snowmobiler, ride up to our park on our safe, groomed trails and discover a unique and incomparable way to experience the park
Park gates are open during daylight hours from January until March.
If you’re a cross-country skier or snowshoe enthusiast, Mount Carleton’s groomed trails are for you. Skis and snowshoes are provided by the Friends of Mount Carleton for day use. You can also ice fish for perch, trout and landlocked salmon on Big Nictau Lake (bring your angling license and your equipment). If you’re a camper, there’s no need to hang up your camping gear just yet! Enjoy the park camping experience all year round, even in winter ($10 nightly fee; reservations required, pleas contact the park directly).
* Winter camping at Mount Carleton provincial park is un-serviced with limited access to amenities. Campers should be experienced in winter wilderness camping for this experience. Contact the park directly for more information at (506) 235-0793. *
Camping
Mount Carleton Provincial Park Campground
Mount Carleton Provincial Park is home to 4 different campgrounds for campers at every experience level, plus 2 heritage cabin sites.
Heritage Cabins: Nictau Cabins (Pine, Maple, Cedar, Spruce, Ash, Fir) with capacity ranging from 2-12 people total; Bathurst Cabins (Raccoon, Otter, Beaver, Porcupine, Bear) with capacity ranging from 4-9 people total and mattresses included in all cabins. There is also bathrooms with showers, and a large kitchen. These are common to all people who rent the cabins.
Armstrong Campground: Mount Carleton’s largest campground with 88 sites for trailers and tents. This campground boasts spectacular views of Nictau Lake and Mount Sagamook as well as a pristine beach, washrooms, showers, dry toilets, a kitchen shelter and a dumping station for trailers.
Williams and Franklin Campgrounds: 17 large, secluded tenting sites on both sides of Nictau Lake. Dry toilets, garbage bins and recycling bins are included.
Group Camping: This site can accommodate up to 75 campers and includes a kitchen shelter, garbage and recycling bins.
Headwaters Campground: For a more extreme camping experience, hike partway up Mount Carleton Trail. There are 4 sites with only pit toilets and tree food storage as on-site amenities.
Lodge-Café: A convenience store is open during camping season for all your camping needs. Enjoy a cup of freshly brewed coffee while surrounded by the serene beauty of nature at the Lodge-Café.
Trails
Legend
Easy
Moderate
Difficult
Very Difficult
1 - Bald Mountain Brook
Travel through the Bald Mountain Brook valley between the Mount Carleton Plateau and Mount Bailey. Pass by beautiful, large waterfalls and a boardwalk over beaver dams on Bald Mountain Brook.
2 - Caribou Brook
This moderately flat trail travels across a hardwood ridge. The trail drops down towards Caribou Brook (named after the caribou which roamed the mountain until the early 1900s) where you should see plenty of signs of moose before coming out near Bathurst Lake.
3 - Mount Bailey
Travel through mixed forests on your way to the rocky cliffs with views of Mount Sagamook and Mount Carleton. Keep going to the peak for views of Bald Mountain Brook below.
4 - Mount Carleton
The west trail follows a lush, mossy stream up the mountain. Cross a long, rocky ridge to the peak where you will find a tower that marks the highest point in the Maritime provinces. The tower was once used to look for forest fires. The east trail descends along an old access road that passes a fireman's cabin.
5 - Mount Sagamook
Follow the old logging route established by Admiral Spruance, an American sportsman who frequented the park. Rocky outcrops provide iconic views of Nictau Lake and are widely considered the best views of the park. Don’t forget to check out the lookout and ridge on the eastern section for views of Bathurst Lake and surrounding forest.
6 - Mount Head
Mount Head is halfway across the plateau between Mount Sagamook and Mount Carleton. The peak provides the best views of Mount Carleton, Bathurst Lake and Pine Point.
7 - Pine Point
A fire burned through this point of land in 1933 and it regenerated to mostly red pine. Follow along the edge of Bathurst Lake through these red pines before looping back.
8 - Portage
This restored ancient portage trail between the Nictau and Bathurst lakes connected the Saint John River and Nepisiguit River watersheds. It had been used by the Maliseet and Mi’kmaq for centuries and by early explorers and missionaries in the 1700s and early 1900s. The forest trail follows the flattest route between the two lakes, making it one of the easiest in the park.
9 - Williams Falls
Stand on the bridge over the top of the falls or the lookout platform below to see the falls from every angle. A short walk to an amazing place.
10 - Dry Brook
This trail begins at Bathurst Lake and heads west through stands of pine, birch, poplar, maple and spruce. The path follows the brook up the steep-sided valley, passing a number of waterfalls (one of which is 10 metres (32 feet) high). The stream, which headwaters are on the Mount Carleton Plateau, disappears underground in places, earning it the name ‘Dry Brook.'
11 - Big Brook
Embark on a long journey with this trail, beginning at Bathurst Lake and following the shore. You will discover an old fireplace and other remnants of a log cabin built by Buckley, an early Mount Carleton outfitter. The trail then turns inland and follows old logging roads through impressive forests with pristine streams. It joins Mount Carleton Trail just below the ranger cabin.